Lorton, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Lorton is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 (CDP) in Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, United States. The population is 27,709 as of the 2008 census estimate.

History

Lorton is named for a village
Lorton, Cumbria
Lorton is a civil parish in the district of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria, England, containing two small villages - Low Lorton and High Lorton, both approximately four miles south of Cockermouth. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish had a total population of 250 people...

 in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...

 National Park, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

 in England, the hometown of Joseph Plaskett who settled in the area running a general store and opened the Lorton Valley, Virginia Post Office on November 11, 1875.

Before the identity of Lorton, the commercial center was Colchester
Colchester, Virginia
Colchester is an unincorporated town on the Occoquan River in Fairfax County, Virginia. Colchester is a former tobacco port established in 1753. The port town was located on the old post road and Thomas Mason operated a ferry across the Occoquan River here. In 1798, Mason built a bridge across the...

 and the spiritual and historical center of the community around which the leading citizens of the time revolved was Pohick Church
Pohick Church
Pohick Church is an Episcopal church in the community of Pohick near Lorton in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.-History:Originally founded around 1695 as Occoquan Church, in the Anglican Truro Parish of Virginia, it was later renamed Pohick Church in 1732 after relocating near Pohick Creek,...

.

From the early 20th century until November 2001, Lorton was the site of a District of Columbia correctional facility
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 called the Lorton Reformatory
Lorton Reformatory
The Lorton Reformatory was a prison built for the District of Columbia, United States. It was operated by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections.-History:...

 which, among other things, detained approximately 168 women from the women's suffrage movement from the Washington D.C. area from June to December 1917.

A Nike missile site was built at Lorton in 1955, and remained until 1973.

Lorton is also is one of the two stations that serves Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

's Auto Train
Auto Train
Auto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...

 which carries passengers and their vehicles non-stop to Sanford, FL, about 30 minutes away from Orlando, FL. The Lorton and Occoquan Railroad
Lorton and Occoquan Railroad
The Lorton and Occoquan Railroad was a seven-mile railroad line running between the District of Columbia-operated prison at Lorton, Virginia and the wharf at Occoquan, Virginia across the Occoquan River separating Fairfax County and Prince William County...

 once operated between the Lorton Reformatory
Lorton Reformatory
The Lorton Reformatory was a prison built for the District of Columbia, United States. It was operated by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections.-History:...

 and Occoquan, Virginia
Occoquan, Virginia
Occoquan is a town in Prince William County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 759 at the 2000 census, but as of the census of 2010, there were 934 people residing in the town of Occoquan. The town is a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is adjacent to Woodbridge...

, with connection to the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system....

.

Historic landmarks include Gunston Hall
Gunston Hall
Gunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States of America. The house was the home of the United States Founding Father George Mason. It was located at the center of a 5500 acre plantation...

, George Mason
George Mason
George Mason IV was an American Patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...

's Home, Pohick Church with George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

's box, Belvoir which was George Fairfax's home, the Market, and now Fort Belvoir Army Corps of Engineer base and Cranford Church. Woodlawn Plantation
Woodlawn Plantation
Woodlawn Plantation is a historic home located in Fairfax County, Virginia, and was originally a part of Mount Vernon, George Washington's historic plantation estate....

 and Mt. Vernon, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

's Home on the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

 lie just to the North.

Education

Lorton is part of the Fairfax Public School System
Fairfax County Public Schools
The Fairfax County Public Schools system is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax...

. There are six elementary schools to serve Lorton residents, Gunston Elementary, Lorton Station, Silverbrook, Laurel Hill, and Halley. Hayfield Secondary School
Hayfield Secondary School
Hayfield Secondary School is the oldest secondary school in the Fairfax County Public Schools system of Virginia. It opened its doors in 1968 and graduated its first seniors in 1971.-History:...

 used to be the only public high school for Lorton area students, but they may now alternatively attend South County Secondary School
South County Secondary School
South County Secondary School is a secondary school in Lorton, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system, opened in September 2005...

.

Fairfax County Public Library
Fairfax County Public Library
The Fairfax County Public Library is a public library system headquartered in Suite 324 in the Fairfax County Government Center at 12000 Government Center Parkway in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States....

 operates the Lorton Library in the CDP.

Economics

Considerable development has taken place in Lorton during the last few years, including on the former prison grounds.

Gunston Plaza Shopping Center is no longer the largest shopping center in the vicinity. Gunston plaza includes a post office, Virginia DMV service center, medical clinic, dry cleaner, small office building, Dollar Tree, Bloom grocery, Ride Aid, Golds Gym, High's, Polo Grill, Vinny's, Dominoes Pizza, Papa Johns Pizza, SunTrust Bank, McDonalds, senior citizens' center, Mexican/Salvadoran restaurant, florist, computer store, and other small shops. Construction is underway in Fall 2010 right across Lorton Road at Route 1 where a bank and pharmacy will be located.

Several new town centers have opened in Lorton over the past few years. At the corner of Lorton Road and Lorton Market Street are: Shoppers Food, Virginia ABC store, Quiznos, Glory Days, Bank of America, Caribou Coffee, Baskin Robbins, barber, Mexican restaurant, and other shops. Near the Lorton VRE commuter rail station on Lorton Station Boulevard are: Wells Fargo, Subway, Fireside Grill, Pane e Vino, K&C Pharmacy, dry cleaner, Music&Arts, salon, kabob place, FedEx/Kinkos, and other shops.

Library services in the area have expanded from bookmobile service to a store front library and now to a 10000 square feet (929.03 m²) building. The Lorton Heritage Society has developed the Lorton History Garden on the library's south side.

Lorton is also the home to the Noman M. Cole, Jr., Pollution Control Plant. The Noman Cole facility is the largest advanced waste water treatment plant in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Geography

Lorton is located at 38°42′18"N 77°14′1"W (38.704915, -77.233573).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the CDP has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.3 km²), of which, 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.72%) is water. Additionally, Lorton can be considered low-lying as compared to most of Fairfax County.

To the north is the Historic Port City of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

, Virginia and several landmarks connected with the life of George Washington including Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...

. Its southern border is the Occoquan River with Historic Old Town Occoquan. To the east a peninsula known as Mason Neck defines Pohick Bay on the north and Belmont Bay on the south where the tidal Occoquan merges with the tidal Potomac as it meanders over to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

. The surrounding tidal water makes this a convenient boating area. Significant land on the tip of Mason Neck is State and Federal Wildlife preserve. Here is a regular population of Bald Eagles. To the west, South Run Park and Ox Road roughly define the Community beyond which an extensive wooded horse farm area separates Lorton. Three Highways pass through the Lorton Community crossing the Occoquan river. US-1 and I-95
Interstate 95 in Virginia
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Interstate 95 runs through the state. It runs concurrently for with Interstate 64 in Richmond, and meets the northern terminus of Interstate 85 in Petersburg. Though Interstate 95 was originally planned to go straight through Washington, D.C., it was instead...

 connect Alexandria and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and Virginia Route 123 or Ox Road connect the Town of Occoquan. The Amtrak Auto Train
Auto Train
Auto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...

 to and from Florida has Lorton as its northern terminal.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2008 estimate, there were 27,709 people, 9,055 households, and 6,308 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,436.6 people per square mile (554.7/km²). There were 5,892 housing units at an average density of 475.9/sq mi (183.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 48.95% White, 34.66% African American, 0.29% Native American, 7.63% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 3.92% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 4.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.74% of the population.

There were 5,663 households out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.21. Of the 2,616 people residing outside households (i.e. in group quarters), the vast majority were inmates at Lorton Reformatory, which was located within the CDP's bounds and would close the year following the 2000 census.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 45.2% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 2.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 125.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $96,550, according to a 2008 estimate. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the CDP was $32,799. About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Rail

Lorton VRE Station

The Lorton VRE station is located at 8990 Lorton Station Boulevard. It is currently serviced by the VRE
Virginia Railway Express
The Virginia Railway Express is a regional/ commuter rail service that connects the Northern Virginia suburbs to Union Station in Washington, D.C., via two lines: the Fredericksburg Line from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and the Manassas Line from Broad Run/Airport station in Bristow,...

 Fredericksburg Line
Fredericksburg Line
The Fredericksburg Line is a commuter rail line operated by Virginia Railway Express between Washington, D.C. and Fredericksburg, VA. Virginia Railway Express operates 7 weekday trains, and Amtrak trains serve a few of the stations on the line...

 which runs between Fredericksburg Station
Fredericksburg (Amtrak station)
The Fredericksburg Amtrak station is located at 200 Lafayette Boulevard in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It is also the terminus of the Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line. was also recently added by the city for the same purpose...

 in Fredericksburg, VA and Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...

 in Washington DC.

This station is one mile north from the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 Auto Train
Auto Train
Auto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...

 Lorton station
Lorton (Amtrak station)
Lorton is a railroad terminal in Lorton, Virginia. It is the northern terminal for Amtrak's Auto Train which operates between this station and Sanford, FL. When Auto-Train was originally established in Lorton in 1971, the station house was still under construction...

.

Lorton Amtrak Station
Lorton (Amtrak station)
Lorton is a railroad terminal in Lorton, Virginia. It is the northern terminal for Amtrak's Auto Train which operates between this station and Sanford, FL. When Auto-Train was originally established in Lorton in 1971, the station house was still under construction...



The Lorton Amtrak Station is the northern terminal for Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

's Auto Train
Auto Train
Auto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...

 which runs between this station and the Sanford Station
Sanford (Amtrak station)
Sanford is a railroad terminal in Sanford, Florida. It is the southern terminus for Amtrak's Auto Train which runs between this station and Lorton, VA. The original facility, which opened in 1971, was an older and smaller facility than the terminal at Lorton...

 in Sanford, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Sanford is a city in, and the county seat of, Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 50,998...

.

Bus

Fairfax Connector
Fairfax Connector
Fairfax Connector is a public bus service provided by Fairfax County, Virginia, and operated under contract by MV Transportation. The first buses rolled out in September 1985 as a lower-cost alternative to the Metrobus service of the regional Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority...

  • Routes 171 & 307


Vamoose Bus

Vamoose Bus, a privately owned company, provides daily transportation from the Lorton VRE Station parking lot to Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...

/Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

 in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

Notable people

  • George Mason
    George Mason
    George Mason IV was an American Patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...

    , one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, often called the Father of the Bill of Rights
  • Maxwell William Roman
    Maxwell William Roman
    Maxwell William Roman was an officer in the United States Air Force.-Biography:Roman was born in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. He would marry twice. Roman and his first wife, Beverly, would have three children and later divorce. His second wife, Anna, died in 1994. As a civilian Roman worked as a teacher...

    , U.S. Air Force officer
  • John Lortonious IV

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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